The Real Love
by Jerusha Carter
Summary: this is a story about Dolly Parton...take a look and please comment
1. Chapter 1

REAL LOVE

REAL LOVE

The year is November 4, 2005 my name is Taylor Anderson. I am 28, and I am happily married to David Reed, Which you will know later on in this story. We have three wonderful children, Megan the oldest and adopted, Tommy the only boy, bless his heart, and the baby, Emily.

It was 15 years ago when her life was changed, some good, and some destroying every ounce of happiness and flipped her life upside down and all around. Then it was 8 years ago when her life changed ours. I am writing this I guess as a dedication, or maybe just a way to let you know how great of a person she really was. I guess if I start anywhere, it should be from the beginning. The year was June 14, 1992…

It was a cool, dark, and stormy night, in the summer of June 1992.The rain gently fell against the metal tin roof, the moon was hidden behind large black clouds, that didn't seem to go away. Lightning flashed constantly but the thunder did not echo. The quite young family of five slept soundly in their beds except for Emily, the mother, was down stairs in the kitchen at this time of the night finishing the dishes. The lightning flashed and the thunder rolled for once.

"Mommy!" a loud shriek came from up the steps. Emily ran up the steps and half way up the steps embraced the young boy. She picked up the little brown, hair blue eyed boy.

"Mommy, don't let them get me, please!"

"Don't let who get you?" Emily said as she wiped the tears away from the little boys face.

"The monkeys, mommy, they were chasing me! They had sharp teeth and could fly!"

"Have you been watching the "Wizard of OZ" again?" the little boys face went from tearful to innocent real quick.

"I and papa did." Emily looked up in the "O lord" kind of way.

I knew you and your father were going to watch that movie again and you were going to get another nightmare!" she walked up the steps and placed the toddler in his bed. As she did, Ben started laughing, after a while of laughter Emily wondered what he was laughing at.

"Ben what are you laughing at?" Ben shook his head.

"Are you laughing at me huh, huh," Emily said as she tickled her young son.

"Ahhhh!" Emily screamed as she turned around to see only her husband behind her. She hit him as she said, "you know where to get me at, don't you?"

"Yep," he gave her a kiss on the cheek, "uh oh, I think we woke someone else up!" a knock indicated that someone else was woke up.

"Come in."

"Mommy, can I come in?"

"Why not?" Elizabeth was a tall girl for her age all the children were many years apart.

Ben was three years old, next was Matthew who was five years old, and Elizabeth was seven years old. The parents Larry and Emily were fours years different also, Larry is 26 and Emily is 22. Larry was a tall kind of chubby man with brown hair and a goatee. Now Emily was a short, rail thin, up topped kind of woman with blond hair and has green eyes. She had those, as her husband would call "child bearing hips," and always wore high heels, even her worn out high heels are her house shoes.

"Mama? What is that noise?" Emily looked around she saw the pictures shake.

"Oh lord, its Percy, brace yourselves." Emily grabbed hold of Elizabeth and Larry held on to Ben. The door flew open and the dog came running in through the room with a blast of wind.

"Percy! Sit!" Ben stood up and pointed his finger witch meant you had better listen to me! The puppy started to slide and hit the bed. He jumped up on the bed where the family sat.

"Okay Percy, get down." Larry pushed the Saint Bernard off the bed.

A knock on the door indicated that the last of the children was up

"Come on in Matt." The cute little blond haired, sleepy blue-eyed boy entered the room.

"Mommy what's going on? Why is everyone awake?" he crawled on the bed and in Emily's lap.

"The same thing you are doing up. Can't sleep"

"Mommy, can you sing us a song?" Ben said as Larry placed him in Emily's lap. Ben was in Emily's lap, and Matt was in Larry's and Elizabeth laid across on Larry and Emily's lap.

"Okay what do you want me to sing?" Elizabeth sat up and mentioned the song.

"The song you use to sing to me when I was Ben's age!" Emily thought about it a moment.

"She was born in a place called Blue Valley  
at the foot of the Tennessee hills  
with the blue birds and blue bells  
and blue mountain water, and the sound of the blue whippoorwills "she moved Ben to her shoulder.

"But there was no peace in the valley  
her daddy, a cruel, ruthless man  
Used and abused her mind and her body  
so her mama said run while you can," she looked around the room trying to regain the words to the song. Larry looked at her and smiled. Elizabeth looked up.

"Mommy, what is the story behind that song?" Elizabeth said as she wiped her eyes trying to fight the sleep that was trying to win her to sleep hard.

"Well that's the song that a friend of mine wrote for me when I was going through a hard time."

"Oh, what was her name? Do mommy's and daddy's cry?"

"Yes darlin, in their own way, they do cry, and her name was Dolly Parton" she looked at Larry and back down at the child laid across her lap, she played with his soft hair, gently as she sang the rest.

"So at fifteen she took to the highway  
Belongings and guitar in hand  
And she buried herself in her music  
The one thing she did understand  
And she sings like a bird and she writes like a poet  
Her voice has that high, lonesome sound  
She hurts, and her songs are the best way to show it  
So the Blue Valley songbird keeps traveling around" Larry looked at Emily and just smiled, the woman that didn't even want the little girl she had carried as a teenager, fell in love with her children as they were born.

"She hopes someday she will make it  
And everyone says that she will  
When she comes to town, crowds flock around  
To see the girl from the Tennessee hills  
She writes her letter back home to her mama  
In care of the preacher in town  
They're sacred to her so she reads them at church  
And so her daddy cannot track her down." Larry and Emily could not believe she remembered as much as she did. Therefore, they finished the chorus, as it was suppose to be.

"And she sings like a bird and she cries like a baby  
whenever she turns off the lights  
she's a whole lot lonesome and a little bit crazy  
from mem'ries and miseries and dreams gone awry. Blue dress, blue shoes, a blue Cadillac  
A band dressed in blue by her side  
Instruments tied to the top and the back  
'Cause the Blue Valley songbird is singing tonight. One nighters, honky tonks, years flying by  
She never made it, but Lord knows she tries  
Expressing the feelings she holds inside  
And the Blue Valley songbird is singing tonight  
Oh the Blue Valley songbird is singing tonight and she sings like a bird and she writes like a poet" Emily looked down at Elizabeth who was slightly awake, but Ben and Matt were sound asleep.

Larry took Matt and placed him in his room, then grabbed Ben and placed him in the crib. When Larry got back from putting Matt down simply slipped into Ben's room one more time where Emily sat holding Elizabeth in her lap. Larry gently picked Elizabeth up and threw her over his shoulder gently.

"Larry please, becareful, don't wake her." Larry looked her in the eyes and gave her an "I know what I am doing" look.

"I will it took forever to get her asleep." Larry and Emily walked around the big oval hallway, and into Elizabeth's room. They placed her in the twin sized canopy bed, and as Larry did so, Emily held her head so it would not hit the headboard.

Emily slipped out of the room and went to Ben's room to make sure he was still asleep. She quietly turned on his night light. Emily looked at her young son and pushed back gently his brown hair from his eye's, and kissed his forehead.

"Mommy, can I have a cookie, and some milk?" Emily looked in the doorway and saw Larry standing there.

"No sweetie, not at this time of the night, but I can get you a glass of apple juice and a cracker if your hungry." Ben's nose crinkled up in a "that's nasty look."

Emily heard the half-asleep voice of the child, as she turned the radio slightly on.

"Thank you mommy." Emily smiled as she made her very past Larry standing in the doorway.

Emily walked down the spiral staircase. Her robe draped behind her, and her hand stayed on the rail. She wore a black, lace robe that was a little big for her short body; you could hear the clanking of her high heels on the wooden steps.

She walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard; she stood on her tiptoes trying to reach for a sippy cup. She mumbled under her breath about being short, as she rinsed out the sippy cup and poured apple juice into the green and blue cup. She once again opened and reached in the cupboard this time to grab a bag of "chips ahoy" cookies. She took off her high heels to go up the stairs quietly and looked across the hall to make sure Larry was not at the doorway. She walked into the room and noticed that Ben was still awake.

"Now I will only give this to you, if you don't tell your papa." Ben's eyes lit up. She pulled two cookies from behind her back.

"Cookies! Thank you mama!"

"Shh, don't tell anybody now, this is mine, and yours secrete."

"Really, only mine and yours?"

"Yep, sorry honey there was no milk."

"It's okay, thank you mommy."

"No problem sweetie, good night."

"Goodnight mommy, I love you."

"Love you too bud."

It was around three o'clock in the morning by the time they got all the kids in the bed, and asleep, Emily lay there still, and awake.

"Honey, you awake?"

"Yeah, why?" He asked putting his arm around her waist. She let out a deep sigh, and turned to look at him.

"Well watching the kids tonight, and putting them to sleep, and doing just about everything else we did has me thinking..."

"What? What could bother you?" Emily stood up hoping that the words she was trying to say would just spew out of her mouth. A long drawn out pause indicated she was nervous.

"Well I am just hungry, that's all. Therefore, I think that I am going to go get a snack."

She put on her robe and walked back to the kitchen, she grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and rinsed it off and started peeling it in one long, curly, strip.

"Emily?" she turned around to see Larry in the doorway.

"What's going on? Something is different from usual." Emily smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Well someone called me today."

"Really who?" Emily turned to see a young Child's shadow.

"Matt!"

"Matt?" she walked into the living room.

"Matt, what are you doing up?"

"I heard people talking and…"

"But..."

"But what?"

"What were y'all talking about?"

"I'll tell you later, let's get you up to bed."

"Oh, OK." Emily placed the toddler in the bed. She closed the door, and sat on the bed.

"Okay your father is going to kill me for telling you first… but I got a phone call from the doctor today..."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, mommy is going to have a baby."

"No way! Who knows? When are you going to tell him?"

"Shh, I told you not to say anything." She tucked him in and went back to the bedroom. Larry brought her apple and her glass of apple juice back up to their room.

"So who called you?" he said handing her, her apple.

"Well it was just someone in the medical field."

"Okay a doctor. What about it?" just then the alarm went off.

"I am going to get the kids!" Emily jumped off the bed.

"Get the kids in the nursery. Stay there until I come back. I mean it!"

"Larry becareful please!"

"I promise." Emily went into Elizabeth's room...

"Mama! What's going on?" Elizabeth's face was wet from the tears. Emily picked Elizabeth up and took her to the nursery on the on other side of Emily's room.

"Shh, sweetheart just stay calm everything is going to be fine." Emily stroked the young girl's hair trying to calm her down. Lightning flashed in the distance to reveal the shaken and scared look on a true mother's face.

"Now I am going to go get Ben and Matt and I will be right back. Do not open this door unless I tell you too."

"Mama? Where is papa?" Elizabeth asked as Emily started out the door. Startled Emily answered in the best way she could,

"He's fine." Thunder echoed the lightning as Emily made her way around. Elizabeth let out a terrified scream, "Mama!" Emily ran around the long and oval hallway her casting shadows on the wall that made her heart beat faster and the pounding in her head was almost unbearable. As she moved quickly and quietly towards her screaming children, "Ben" she cried as she picked him up and ran back into the nursery, where Elizabeth sat in a fetal position. The two children cried and begged their mother not to leave them as she ran to save the last of the children, but when Emily got there Matt was nowhere to be found. Emily could hear yelling and fighting in the living room.

"Mommy! Help Mommy!" Emily could hear matt's cry. She could feel this very uncertain feeling in her stomach like something is going wrong, she took her heels off as she slowly came around to the edge of the steps. Emily made her way swiftly across the long landing and down the winding and open staircase, as she reached the corner the struggle in the next room became apparent there was an unannounced shot, which took her by surprise as it embedded its self in the wall a fraction from her head

"Oh shit!" Emily looked through the kitchen; the expression on her face matched the face of the little boy who was being held to the ground against his will.

"Mama help!" Emily saw a tall man standing in the kitchen doorway. She grabbed the knife that was on the counter from the apple, which not just minutes ago, was being peeled, the man who was holding Matt turned around and noticed that something was unusual and odd about the room. Out of the corner of Larry's eye, he noticed Emily creeping up from behind the Island table.

"Emily! Get back upstairs! Don't get into this!" Larry begged as he fought off the person who had him pined to the ground.

"Emily I know about the baby! Just go upstairs!" Emily felt a presence of somebody behind her.

"Emily! Look out!" she turned around and the tall man grabbed her arm, she took her other hand and grabbed hold of the knife on the counter. A blast of determination went through Emily's body and she felt a sharp pain in her side yet she knew what she had to do to keep her boys safe.

Emily went behind the man holding her arm and turned around to face him she placed the point of the knife to his back hard enough that one slightest movement would or could kill him.

"Now get up, don't move, and call this shit off, and you just might be able to keep you insides." with a scattered breath he yelled out, "Alright guys, let's get out of here!" they all scattered and left the boy where he was. Lightning struck and thunder sounded as the very last man stood in the doorway of the house as he quoted, "All I am going to say is this is not the end of this." The last man slammed the door closed. Emily took the knife and cut the ropes from Matt's arms and legs.

"Mama, Papa!" Matt wiped the tears out of his mama's eyes and sweat from his daddy's face. They both embraced Matt.

"Now why couldn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"I didn't know how, I was afraid you didn't want another child."

"If I could I would want twelve. We got the space..." they all looked around and started laughing. The smile that came across Emily's face was unbelievable. Larry's lip was busted and bleeding.

"Let's go put some ice on that hand and that lip." Larry took her hand and helped her to her feet. He noticed closely that something was wrong.

"Emily, your side is bleeding." she looked down and placed her hand where the bloodstain covered her clothing, her knees gave way and Larry kept his tight grip on her gently lowering her to the ground.

"Matt, go get some towels out of the closet now!"

"No, I want to stay right here with mama!"

"Matt! No! Please go!" Matt sulked.

"Matt, son, I am so sorry! I promise she will be fine." Matt ran upstairs and into the closet where they kept the colored towels from where they washed the dog.

While Matt was upstairs, Larry raised her shirt up to see what caused her side to bleed.

"Damn, how did that happen?" Larry pulled on the knife blade that was in her side. Emily groaned and gritted her teeth.

"Larry stop!" Emily yelled.

"Shh. It is okay. Just let me get it out."

"No stop!" Larry had to get it out he just didn't know how.

Matt hurriedly stumbled down the stairs with a stack of unfolded towels. Larry pulled down her shirt. Elizabeth a little shaken and nervous stumbled down the stairs.

"Papa? What can I do to help?"

"Sweetpea, call me an ambulance and keep Ben upstairs okay?"

About 20 minutes later, the ambulance arrived.

"Honey, I'll be there as soon as I can." He kissed her forehead.  
About an hour later, Emily's friend Sarah came over to watch the kids. Larry left, but some hours later, the news turned horrible.


	2. Chapter 2

News broadcast

Larry ran into the emergency room.

"My wife came in Emily Johnson."

"So"

"Can you tell me how she is?"

"I don't know!" Larry grabbed the clipboard and walked into the waiting room. Larry sat down and waited for the doctor to come with some news.

"Mr. Johnson," Larry stood up.

"Are you Mr. Johnson?"

"Yes I am. How is she doing? Tell me straight up."

"Well honestly, if you want the straight up, if you wouldn't have messed with the knife blade it would have cut her lungs in half, she would have died. She did loose the baby." Larry's face went blank, his heart sank and he began to feel real heavy inside, almost like he had lost his best friend.

"Oh man, I don't know how to tell her. How many weeks was the baby?" the doctor looked through his notes.

"A month old. I am so sorry."

"I told her to go back upstairs, she didn't listen."

"Well it's not your fault nor is it hers the whole deal is she felt the motherly instincts and just went for it. You can go see her if you want, she is in the third room on the right."

"Thank you." Larry would never forget the face of that doctor. Emily always sees all the angels around this world; she showed Larry how to do the same. Larry got to the door and knocked upon it.

"Come in!" Larry opened the door.

"Hey!"

"Hey sweetheart." Larry walked in and gave her a kiss.

"You stay in this place don't you?" Emily laughed. Her face went from relaxed to serious, and very concerned.

"Honey can I ask you a question?" Emily sat up, almost unable to deal with the pain and her face showed it.

"Yeah sure, you sure you need to be sitting up. Do you need anything?" Emily shook her head "no." and resumed talking, "I am alright, Larry, how is the baby?" Larry's head looked down to the floor. Emily took his chin in her hands, so she could look him in the eyes. Larry tried to look back down but she held her hand firm.

"Larry, please tell me." She said as she grabbed his hands.

"Well, sweetheart, we can always try again if you want." Emily shook her head in agreement.

"But what are we gonna tell Matt?"

"We will figure that out when we get there."

"Darlin', will you go get me something to drink please?"

"Yeah sure, what do you want?"

"Water."

"Okay, I will be back in 5 minutes." Emily nodded.

"Thank you"

"Anything to make you smile." A smile came across her face. Larry walked out and the door shut. Emily cried, she had kept her hurt in until nobody was around, like always. Thoughts of, as if "what did I do wrong, and why did this happen to me?" flooded her mind. Larry ran back in the room for he could hear her cries outside the door. He ran over and held her close as her tears drowned her beautiful smooth face.

"Honey, don't even think about it, you did nothing wrong. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Let me see those stitches." She rolled over to her left side and her looked at them closely.

"Damn, 29?" Emily slightly smiled, "Oh, honey I am so sorry." He embraced her, she just cried, "You want to watch the news, or see who is in the top charts in country music."

"No, right now no news is good news. I knew something was wrong I could feel it you might think that is crazy but when that man grabbed my arm there was this... I dunno there was this pain in my side, the kind I felt on the floor." Another knock came upon the large wooden door. The doctor came in.

"Mr. Johnson, may I please talk to you."

"Yeah sure, I'll be right back." Larry wanted to make sure that she knew he wasn't going to leave her. Larry followed the doctor out of the room.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, but your son has been taken from the house."

"What?"

"Who ever did this to your wife wanted to just get you both out of the house. Whoever was in your house before was just trying to get you out of the house." Larry's face turned as white as a ghost.

"Damn it, can you tell Emily I will be back as soon as I can?"

"Yes, sir."

"Whatever you do don't turn on the news or tell her why." The doctor nodded and he and Larry went their separate ways.

The doctor once again knocked on the door.

"Mrs. Johnson, your husband had to go home for a while, but will be back soon."

"Why?"

"Ma'am, I am not allowed to say." Emily leaned back confused.

"Sir, can you bring me the TV remote?"

"Um… the TV is not working."

"OK can you bring me a bible?"

"Now that I can do."

"Thank you so much." The doctor walked out of the room. Emily felt like she had the word (ASS) on her forehead. For the first time since she was married, she felt alone. However, something in her heart told her something was wrong. She pressed the call button.

"Nurses station, how may I help you?"

"Yes can you please tell me what is going on in the local news?"

"Yes, um a five year old boy was abducted from his home."

"Thank you," it took a couple of seconds for it to hit Emily. Hands shaking Emily called Larry.

"Hello?"

"Larry what the hell is going on? Is Matt okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something tells me something is wrong with Matt."

"Has anybody told you?"

"No, I want to know now!"

"Matt is gone! The same people who tried this before did it again."

"Why Matt? What did he do?"

"Well, they took his book bag; look as soon as I get done with the police here I will be right back there."


	3. Chapter 3

On the tour again

On the tour again

After Matt's disappearance, Emily went into a stage of depression. Emily would try to hide the hurt she felt and she would always put on a front just so her family and fans would not see, but after a year Emily finally snapped.

Emily would get so depressed that she would go without food for days at a time and then eat like a hog after she practically starved herself. Most of the time Emily would lock herself in her "Music Room," and at night she would stay up and look out the window in some hope that she was in a nightmare and that any minute she would see Matt walking up the driveway.

When Larry would insist that one of Emily's friends should come over, or even her parents Emily would get mad and walk out or sit out on the porch for hours. Larry decided that a psychologist was not the answer, but what was?

Larry finally got the courage to go and talk to Emily, talk about what was wrong. Larry walked upstairs and up to the door of the "Music Room," Larry took a breath and knocked on the door.

"Emily, can I come in a minute?" no answer came from the other side of the door. Larry opened the door to reveal Emily sitting at the piano, her head was slightly hung down and the look of grieve filled her emerald eye's.

"Hey sweetie, can I sit here?" Larry asked pointing to the empty spot beside her. Emily slightly nodded her head yes.

As Larry sat beside her, he asked her another question, "can I ask you a question?" once again Emily nodded her head. Larry reached for her hand, but she moved it, as if telling him "don't touch me."

"How can I help ease your pain? I know it's there, what's worse is that the kids know it's there. So just tell me how I can help you." Emily slightly startled looked at him and let out a sigh.

"Larry, there is nothing you can, or anyone for that matter can do. I just have that sense that even though people are around me, I still feel alone. So why be around people when you still feel alone? Larry it is a scary for me because never in my life have I felt alone." Larry put his arm around her waist, Larry could feel that Emily was uneasy about his arm being around her, so he removed his arm and took her hand instead which was easier for her.

"Honey, no matter what ever happens to any of us we will all be here for everyone because we are a family who loves each other. Emily no matter what you face you are never alone and you know that. Can I ask you just one more question?" Emily tried to hold back that the tears that welled up in her pain stricken eyes, and nodded.

"I know neither of us has said a word about the day Matt was kidnapped and I feel maybe it wouldn't hurt to just talk about it and understand each other's feelings better." Emily blurted out; she had held it back long enough.

"Larry I had never been more scared in my life! I didn't know what to do! I didn't and still don't know who they were but I think I knew why they wanted him." Larry tilted his head to the side confused.

"It was all because he was "Liana Reed's" child. I just pray that he was just sold to a childless family who would take good care of him and see that he is missing and bring him home." Larry looked at Emily with complete understanding, Emily began to cry, and Larry just held her close.

"Sweetie, I understand completely and I think you have a good scenario about this whole thing, but you don't need to think it was your fault because it wasn't. You wanna know something? I don't think anything more could have scared me more that night than to see you collapse in the middle of the floor, or the way you looked when you crept from around the island. That's what hurt me the most, not the black eye or the busted lip, but you and Matt." Larry looked around the "Music Room" and saw pictures of the kids and Emily and Larry just fooling around. These pictures lined the wall.

"Larry what hurt me the worst was the fact we lost two children, even though I was only a month pregnant I could still feel that I was pregnant."

"Yeah I know what you mean. I knew what you were trying to tell me you were pregnant before you went down stairs." Surprised Emily looked at him with that "you sly thing" look.

"Why didn't you tell me?" foolishly Larry replied, "I wanted to see how far you would go before you told me." Emily's mouth dropped and she gave him a frustrated hit on the arm. Emily stood up and walked around the room, looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Hey Emily, let me tell you a secrete my mom told me… come here and sit on my lap." Emily let out a smile for the first time in months and she sat on his lap.

"What?"

"Well you gotta come closer than that." Emily leaned in a little bit closer.

"It is ok to cry when you feel like it. No one is going to think you are week because you cry, it just means your hurt. I want you to let it out when you feel like it and I am always going to be here to be your shoulder to cry on." Emily nodded.

"One last thing."

"What?"

"Come just a little closer, as close as you feel like." Emily let her head fall to his shoulder.

"I love you, and I always will." Larry kissed her cheek. Emily turned her head around to face him; she placed her arms around his neck and passionately kissed him back.

Something's did go back to normal and some things stayed the same. Emily's eating habits went back to normal and she started touring again. One thing that stayed the same with a small change was Emily's lack of correct sleep. Emily would go to bed when Larry would, but in the middle of the night Emily would sleepwalk to the window and just stand there looking for Matt. If Larry would notice that she would get up he would either try helping her back to bed or he would put a chair by the window.

About a month after she grew slowly better Emily started back touring, it seemed like every time Emily would do a different act in a on a stage she would always look out in the audience just to see if she could find Matt, just by some chance.

One week Emily was on tour heading down and over to North Carolina, where she was suppose to meet up with her niece Taylor.

Taylor was a tall girl, with straight brown hair that comes down to the bottom of her chin. Taylor tries her best to match up with her Aunt Rebecca; Taylor wears the same kind of clothes, same kind, and amount of make-up as Emily and loves to sing just like Emily and Sarah-Lynn who at one time sang with Emily in a bluegrass group.

Well Emily was standing off stage waiting to get her cue to come on; Emily's nerves were so bad that she could barely breathe. Well Emily being so determined to be out there she went on as planned. As Emily heard the crowd's applause and the chanting of her name, she looked out in the audience and saw a boy who looked just like Matt and was his same age on this tall man's shoulders who Emily supposed was to be his dad. Emily's face went as white as a ghost as she mouthed the word "Matt." Taylor pushed through the audience to get to Emily in enough time. As Taylor reached the stage, Emily took one-step and fell out.

"Aunt Liana!" Taylor ran up on the stage followed by two paramedics.

Emily was fine after that…the paramedics told Taylor that Emily was dehydrated and her nerves made it worst. After about 45 minutes, the show started back. Emily never told a soul that she saw Matt but she knew in her heart that, that was him. Larry had to come up with a secret way to let all of Emily's fans what had happened. Larry did a website called "Myplace with Liana Taylor" this site was filled with news, tours, and the latest updates on Matt. This was so people could know a little about why Liana was not herself; this also broadened the search for Matt. After a while of "Myplace with Liana Taylor." Larry started getting messages of encouragement and support.

After Emily's (Liana's) fall, Taylor promised Larry that everywhere Emily /Liana went when she was on tour Taylor would go with her. Larry Let Taylor know about the (Myplace with Liana Taylor.) just so that if people were apologizing to her and they didn't know why it was because of Larry.

A couple of day's later Emily and Taylor were on their way to Atlanta Georgia for another concert at the Civic Center. On the plane when the light was on so that people could get up and walk around people would see Liana/Emily and Taylor and offer their words of encouragement and deepest sympathy. Emily smiled for the first real smile and thanked them.

"Taylor, this is why I love doing tours and having so many fans. They always look out for you if they are not crazy… which I have had some of those in my day."

Taylor let out a small chuckle.

"I know what you mean Aunt Emily…I mean aunt Liana. I can get confused."

"It's okay sweetpea, I don't think nobody heard you!" Emily looked at Taylor.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"Well, if you are going to be touring with me then you might as well open for me!" Taylor's eye's got big and her mouth dropped open.

"Are you serious?" Emily smiled

"Well this is no joking matter."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Taylor threw her arms around Emily's neck and Emily returned the hug.

The next day Emily took Taylor around Atlanta. They decided that Emily was going to buy her and Taylor new dresses for the rise of Occasion.

The two of them spent around six hundred dollars each dress that they were going to wear on stage not mentioning the outfits they were going to make their first appearance.

They arrived in front of the Atlanta Civic Center in a white limozeen. They were both dressed casual at first. Emily had her hair done but she wore a white, button up, long sleeve shirt, with a blue tank top under the white shirt, and butterfly embroidered blue jeans with for the first time in a while wore white tennis shoes. Just like Emily, Taylor was dressed casual. Taylor had on a sleeveless black shirt with white polka dots, her jeans were a little long, but it was nothing a pair of silver 5-inch stilettos high-heels couldn't fix.

Taylor was the first one out of the limozeen and she looked out into the crowd of people who were standing around waiting for them.

"Oh my gosh!" Taylor said as she looked out and saw signs all over saying things like "We are praying for Matt's safety!" and "Matt just come home to your mama!"

"Taylor, what is wrong?"

"Aunt Liana, check this out!" Taylor said still in shock. Emily reached for Taylor's hand and as she saw, the signs held up by many of fans made the tears whelp up in Emily's eyes. Emily and Taylor walked a red carpet the reached as far as their eyes could see. They walked towards the tall stone building, as they reached the two backstage doors Emily started giving Taylor directions.

"Now you go to the dressing room on stage right and I will be on the left. We have four hours before we go on just be ready. I will come out first to introduce you, you will sing for about 30 minutes so I can change. They will do your hair and make-up. So are you good?"

"I think so…just one question. Have you drank enough water today?" Emily looked at her oddly and remembered that she had drank sixth bottle of water that day.

"Oh you're just being comical aren't you?" Taylor smiled a most wicked smile she could come up. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Now you just go and get dressed and be ready!" Emily crossed the stage and went into her dressing room.

Emily could hear the chanting going on. She got an almost nervous feel to her stomach and kind of light-headedness feel to her head, but then she decided it was just her nerves playing with her.

Emily was standing right behind the curtain and looked over at Taylor who was shaking her hands trying to get her nervousness out. Emily smiled as Taylor tried bringing a smile back in return. When they gave her the cue to come on, Emily walked out with her head held high and her smile was brighter than ever! Her outfit was a blue sleeveless dress with a pair of black high heels on.

"Well, How are you?" the crowed cheered as she waved out in the audience.

"Thank you it's been a while hasn't it?" the crowd hit its high point. Emily looked over at Taylor.

"Okay ya'll I want to introduce you to my youngest and…," Emily looked over to Taylor and smiled.

"Favorite niece, Taylor Anderson!" Emily threw her hand in the direction that Taylor was coming out of; Taylor walked out to the middle of the stage and met Emily in the middle. She gave Emily a hug. Emily whispered in her ear, "You go get'em sweetpea!" Emily walked off stage Left.

"Thank you Aunt Liana! You truly are the best!" Taylor said as she introduced the song that she was going to sing.

"Okay the song I am going to sing tonight is one that my aunt taught me as a little girl and it has always been special to me! I didn't tell Aunt Liana about this but I am gonna sing "Two Little Orphans," it was a song that she sang to me to get me to sleep when I stayed with her." When Taylor started, she was somewhat soft but she looked over at Emily, who winked and smiled the song belted from Taylor's voice. The angelic voice echoed throughout the auditorium. Shocked Emily turned around to catch a glimpse of her bright young smile. Emily knew she wouldn't be able to stay and watch Taylor, for she had to change before going back on.

A couple of songs later and once Liana had changed Taylor was finally through. Emily came back on stage. Her black Capri's and her pink polka dotted mid sleeve shirt, danced in the lights as she walked.

"Now ya'll didn't she do great?" the crowd went crazy. Once Liana was back on stage and finished the show, everything felt right again.


End file.
